Mother's Day Table Settings and other Stories about How Women Feed Themselves

I am both a mom and a daughter. I have had a mother-in-law whom I adored. My own precious mother had seven children and she fed us dinner at 6pm for decades. I am the mom to three, step mom to two, and grandmother of four, and I love to cook for and feed my family. With all of this mothering in my life, I know my way around Mother's Day, and I know it is just a few weeks away. Shoot! Huh?

Mother's Day is set aside in the US as a day to feed moms in a special manner. I know it is also a card-giving occasion, a flower-planting day for many, and a big hug of thanks to the woman we all count on: our mom. I have observed though that it is mostly about the food. Breakfast in bed. Brunch out after church. A gathering of the grown up kids for an afternoon meal in the backyard. Ah, American life on Mother's Day! Delicious food made special for ONE day. Thanks, Mom!

As a health coach, it occurs to me that setting aside one day a year to focus on special food, flowers and gratitude for maternal reward is simply not enough. I propose that all women, especially women who are also moms, and daughters, too, for that matter, should think about how we make special the very act of eating. You know, how we do it for ourselves. Yes, we don't have to wait for Mother's Day to have a luxurious breakfast in bed (our eat our lunch without also driving)!

Here are a few eating questions to ponder, without judgement, just think about:

• Do you often sit at your kitchen or dining room table to eat? Will you on Mother's Day?
• How often do you have sit down family dinners at your home? Are you in the midst of raising kids or is yours more of an empty nest these days?
• Are you the primary cook of your food?
• Do you eat while driving? Do you have a lovely eat while driving tray, like the one shown above?
• How often do you entertain at home, and when you do, do you set the table for your guests?
• Did you ever eat at a TV tray and watch The Wonderful World of Disney?
• Did you ever get to eat on a TV tray that had short legs so that you could place it on your lap as you sit in your favorite chair?
• Do you find it more relaxing to eat alone, before or after your kids have finished their dinner?
• Do you eat higher quality foods when you set the table to eat it?
• How often do you eat your food on the coffee table?
• What is your favorite thing to do in addition to eating when you are eating?

I am here to tell you, because it has just now become crystal clear to me, that most women, and I include myself, do not make eating the special experience that it should be. Did you ever read the 1964 children's book, Bread and Jam for Francis by Russell Hoban? I remember this book fondly. It involves the story of Francis being packed lunch by his mother, and in that lunchbox he is treated to a soft boiled egg along with a tiny little salt and pepper shaker, and a tiny little spoon to tap the egg open, and oh, yes, yummy bread and jam. I remember thinking, boy-o-boy, that Francis is so lucky! To be treated to such a special way of eating school lunch. I want to be this lucky!

I propose that we can all make ourselves feel special at most every meal we eat. We can set a place for ourselves at the proverbial table of life, and make sure that our simple daily meals are precious moments of time

when our food is nourishing, our mind is relaxed, our full senses come out to play, and we know ourselves to be special. We can involve other people in this effort, or we can do it for ourselves because we like it that way. I really can and so can you.

Let's prepare to celebrate Mother's Day this year as the fresh start in a new way of eating. After that lovely and special meal is over, let's keep out our place mats, and our cloth napkins, and even keep a place clear  on the coffee table. Bringing mindful beauty to most every meal is a healthy and fun thing to do, and it makes us feel special, because we are.

If you have concerns about how food is a part of your life, I hope you will find helpful resources at my fun health coaching website. Go there now and let me know you read this blog. I'd love to send you my top ten tips to make your mealtime a bit more relaxing.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Phone Tech Savvy to Benefit Your Fiber Art

If you are getting to know the features of your iPhone, and like me, you may never use that cell phone tool to its full advantage, today's blog post will give you one good reason to stretch beyond your technology boundaries! I fully admit that I am technology adverse. I seek out all the paper and pencil in the house well before I seek out a machine on which I can write. No calendar on my phone, no movies on my iPad--I simply like things old school. I get a little twitchy when people ask me why I don't take advantage of the time-saving tools on my iPhone, and I maybe even tune them out a bit, because I've convinced myself that I won't understand the steps involved in using my phone, at least not in a way that feels comfortable. Can you relate to any of this?

So, now that you know about the low-tech place from which I function, I am about to tell you that I am enamoured with the Turbo Scan App on my iPhone! My patient husband looked at me during my recent rant regarding my HP Office Jet Pro. "I don't know how to scan anything or send a fax! I cannot find anyway to make my computer and scanner 'talk' to one another!!"  Or something to that effect. With a respectful pause, my husband told me that he uses this App on his phone and he can send a scan to anyone he wants, quickly and easily. Well, good for you, smarty pants! He very kindly showed me how to do just that.

If you are an artist and often have fiber art in some stage of creative expression, you, too will love this phone App. I attended Jean Herman's workshop on fabric collage in Loveland, Colorado, this past weekend. Fabric collage is a fun technique that reminds me of creating your own puzzle from scraps of fabric. Gather up your scrap bag, a jar of gel medium, and a few of your favorite photos as inspiration, and you can in an afternoon, create a landscape, portrait or abstract image in fiber. The photo series I am sharing today reflects just such an experience. This fabric collage was developed during a four-hour workshop under Jean's guidance.

Here is when the Turbo Scan tool on your iPhone comes into play! I opened the App on my phone and was directed to take three successive photos of the piece [the original looks like the image on the left]. The App then melded those three photos into one scan, which I could then manipulate. To say that I manipulated anything sounds like an exaggeration of what I personally did at this point...I simply pushed a button that let me see the scan in black and white [middle image], or with a bit of color [image on the right], or as a complete photo [the first image]. Can you see how helpful this functionality is to a fiber artist? I can easily see in this series of scans that the simple fabric shapes I glued down actually do have a 3-D impact, are of interesting tonal values, have line that moves the eye, and finally, where I might need to add more detail. All from the push of a button! The exciting use of this tool let me see in just moments where I need to go next with this fiber art. No pinning it up across a large room and looking at it all squinty-eyed until I can see room for improvement. No need for getting expert form and function critiquing to determine the next best move. In just moments, I used technology to guide myself, and I feel great!

I am reaching out to my fellow tech-avoiders today in a selfish manner. This is my way of passing along the first step in healing myself of the notion I do not need to learn how to fully use my new phone. I hope that you have visions about how you could use this tool to get instant feedback on your next creative project! Or, I hope that this silly story is proof that old-school women can join together and learn new things! As Jean gently told us all at the workshop yesterday, her hope for us was that we would all end the day knowing that we had learned one important thing. Thanks Jean! I definitely did. You are a wonderful teacher.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Does Your Healthy Home need a Detox?

The benefits of eating clean, nutritious, whole foods are clear--the fewer toxins, chemicals, and junk you feed your body, the more vibrant a life you'll lead. While the phrase "you are what you eat" stands true, the state of your environment can also impact your health. Here's what I have learned lately about detoxing my home.

Cleaning Products
Toxic chemicals are widely used in generic cleaning products. The first step in your home detox is to read labels and question the "brand I always buy". Not all cleaning products list their ingredients. I would certainly avoid anything with a danger, hazard, or poison label. Ingredients like ammonia, DEA, APEs, and TEA are also bad for your home. Although even the most natural cleaners contain small amounts of hard-to pronounce ingredients, choose cleaning products like you would food. Opt for short ingredient lists (five or less) and make sure you comprehend most of the terms used on the label. Plant-based ingredients are the best choices, followed by solvent and phosphate-free products.

Making Your Own
Alternatively, you may make your own cleaning products. Baking soda, lemon, vinegar, and cornstarch are pantry staples that can also double up as cleaning supplies. Combined with hot water and elbow grease, you may never need to use a chemical cleaner again!

Furniture and Textiles
Mattress manufacturers often add flame retardants in order to comply with fire regulations. Regardless of the chemical concoction used, retardants are known to cause poor brain development as well as learning, behavior, and memory problems in children. Carpets also contain their own chemical load--stain resistance treatments, antimicrobial properties, antistatic agents, etc. In reality, they are all toxic.

Be a conscious consumer and choose a mattress made from natural materials like untreated cotton or wool. Also ensure they are free from synthetic materials like foam, glue, and moth-proofing chemicals. Use the same standards when choosing bedding, curtains, and rugs. Clean carpets with a plant-based detergent, or if you're moving homes or renovating, opt for hardwood floors instead.

Refresh your home with Paint
Springtime is often the cue for homeowners to clean and refresh their home. Nothing says fresh and new like a new coat of paint! Be sure to use no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints. Many companies advertise no-VOC, but this may only be the base white paint. Once color is added, it's no long no-VOC. Here is a link to more information.

A truly clean, green home can't be achieved overnight--so if you can't incorporate these suggestions now, that's okay. Begin with small changes and watch them make a big impact over time.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Sometimes the big changes start with one, small conversation. Learn more about my health coaching programs at www.GeorgianneHolland.com!

Exercise Good Ideas

It has happened to me again. After 30 years of this type of thing, you'd think I wouldn't be so surprised. Today I had another exercise-induced Good Idea. Has this ever happened to you? Maybe you are taking a nice, long walk through a tree-filled park, and like a bolt from the blue, a great idea comes to mind. Or perhaps you are riding away on the stationary bike and you forgot your ear buds, so you are just minding your own business, thinking about silly little things. Then, without any warning, the solution to a nagging problem is handed to you from the heavens! I've been known to say, "What?"

What is it about exercise that gets the good idea juices flowing?  When I was a young mom, 30 or so years ago, I started a small in-home business that I named Gifted Ideas. I did this because I kept coming up with genius new product ideas while I was pushing one of my kids in a stroller around the block. Genius may be an exaggeration, but they did certainly feel like little gifts.

In questioning how this happens to me and lots of other people, I learned from Leo Widrich that our brains are much more active during exercise than they are when we are on the couch. Belle Beth Cooper agrees. She says, "A lifetime of exercise can result in a sometimes astonishing elevation in cognitive performance, compared with those who are sedentary. Exercisers outperform couch potatoes in tests that measure long-term memory, reasoning, attention, problem-solving, even so-called fluid-intelligence tasks." There you go.

Crochet Brain, filled with great ideas!

Our brains truly are amazing in their ability to support us and our best interests. They secrete a particular type of protein that acts like a memory enhancer as well as a reset switch. This same protein will add endorphins to your blood and increase your good mood, which is perhaps why I believe my ideas are so wonderful. All I have to do to get these great ideas flowing is to get off my couch, perhaps even out of my fiber art studio, and move my body for 20 minutes. The next time I get a great idea while exercising, it will not be a surprise. My memory enhancers will make sure I don't forget how all of this works. That's the plan.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Color Play: A Study in Orange, Red, and Pink

The work of an artist is often more like play. It could be said that all those who enjoy their right livelihood are playful on the job! I am playing with the cheerful colors of orange, red and pink today, with a touch of yellow for fun. Some of these images are my own and some are inspirational touchstones for me.

Traditional furniture with zesty colors creates a youthful space at home.

Silk fusion is a playful fiber art technique I enjoy. This piece is now ready for embellishment.

The pinks and coppery oranges in the wool pile today are an obvious favorite of mine!

I believe this feather has been overlaid on an orange and pink backdrop. Fun!

What colors are you playing with today?

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Colorful, Young, Around-the-World Inspiration

How are you inspired? Do you seek out inspiring activities and people, making new friends and traveling to distant lands? (You would be my hero.) Is inspiration something that just happens for you, hitting you like a bolt of lightening from out of the blue? (Meaning it probably doesn't happen very often, but if it does, you are my hero.) Perhaps inspiration comes to you in the same way it comes to me...by my sitting in a particular chair. I actively seek out the unique and sublime from the office chair I've had for 25 years. I have not had the Wonderful Worldwide Web for that long, but this chair has seen me through a lot of inspiring moments!

Being only an aspiring traveler and occasional dinner party guest, it is important to my creative life that I find other ways to bring refreshing news and ideas to me. I have made it a habit to spend 30 minutes every day taking an online trip around the world, where I feast upon the latest resources and uplifting inventions I find there. How do you bring inspirational ideas into your daily life?

Three Inspirations from my recent Travels

The Blue Marble Project

Rock stars, presidents, kids, scientists, artists, explorers, and eco-celebrities...even the Dalai Lama and the Pope, have received blue marbles.

In 2009, the wildly popular, absurdly simple, neuroscience-based initiative of marine biologist Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, has shared blue marbles around the world with millions of people in celebration of our beautiful, fragile, planet.

Now, The Blue Marbles Project has set out to pass a blue marble through every person's hand on earth, with a simple message of gratitude along with it.

So, the "rules" remain pure and simple.
1. The marble must be blue (any shade, preferably glass).
2. When you get one, give it away to someone as a token of gratitude (whenever you like).
3. Share your story with the world (however you like).

Just play the Blue Marble game! Don't over think it. You'll love it.
Contact Julie Starke to get some blue marbles for yourself, your classroom or event, and start spreading blue gratitude.

The Creative Embroidery resource of Stef Francis

Do you get excited by the needle arts in Europe? My research, and perhaps someday my personal experience, has shown me a huge needle art community throughout Europe. One of the new-to-me favorite magazines to read is Embroidery, The Textile Art Magazine (the Embroiderer's Guild magazine). Through this resource, while firmly planted in my office chair, I have learned of  Stef Francis. If I were in Great Britain today, I would visit the "World of Space-Dyed Threads and Fabrics" run by Stef Francis. On her website, you will find a huge range of hand-dyed yarns, threads, fabrics, and fibers. I am told that most are dyed by Stef in her unique range of colors, which I just love! Doesn't her fiber and textile kit look like fun? I believe that in another life, I was a royal or aristocratic lady with my retinue, creating famous embroideries. Please let me know when it is teatime.

The Amazing World of Richard Clarkson

My final inspirational person today is a young designer I have found from my other fantasy life...the world of Twitter.  It is there that through the help of another hip young man, the charming Brett of IAmLab (my new favorite blog and resource for #handmade love) I found Richard Clarkson (see how this armchair friend-making is fruitful: and young and hip). Truly, these things wouldn't happen to me in real life.

What Richard makes will just astound you, if napping on your sofa while a gentle, non-wet thunder burst in your dining room seems like fun to you. Right? I love the romance of a light show on a cloudy night, and Richard has designed a way to bring that into your home! Watch this little video to see what I mean, and then imagine having this light fixture be the conversation piece at your next dinner party. I would attend that party!

There are so many ways that inspiration can happen. If a bolt from the blue happens to you today, I hope you will drop me a note and let me hear about it.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne